Chinese researchers invent bug-like microrobot with ultrafast untethered running speeds

Researchers at the Beihang University in Beijing independently invented a two-centimeter-long microrobot with ultrafast untethered running speeds after 15 years of research.
The research result was published online on May 8, 2024 under the title "A Wireless Controlled Robotic Insect with Ultrafast Untethered Running Speeds" in Nature Communications journal.
Resembling a bug, this innovative robot has the potential for future applications in emergency rescue and mechanical inspection.
"At present, the robot's weight without loaded battery is about 200 mg, which may be equivalent to the weight of 40 plus hairs," said Zhan Wencheng, a doctoral student at the School of Energy and Power Engineering of the university.
Zhan said that their invention was inspired by cockroach which is tiny in size but moves very fast.
"During our observation of cockroaches, we found that they may suddenly swish out after being disturbed by people, which aroused our interest. From the perspective of bionics, the cockroach is an insect with excellent performance, and we also learned a lot of bionic mechanisms from it. Inspired by this phenomenon, we hope to invent a robot that can move that fast," Zhan said.
When the magnet is electrified, it vibrates, providing a driving source for the bug-like robot. Additionally, the robot has long front legs and short rear ones, allowing it to move straight and rotate quickly using its front legs only. The bouncing movement is achieved through periodic impacts between the front legs and the ground using a developed actuation mechanism. The high untethered mobility is attributed to the complementary combination of bouncing length and high bouncing frequency, even when carrying payloads.
At present, test data show that the robot can run at a speed of 37 centimeters per second when carrying a battery, and it is even faster without the battery.
"Without loading battery, its fastest speed can now reach 45 centimeters per second, which is equivalent to the speed of cockroaches. This means we have achieved our goal in bionics," Zhan said.
Being able to control its two front legs independently, the robot demonstrates various locomotion trajectories, including circles, rectangles, letters, and irregular paths across obstacles, through a wireless control module. Such advancements enable the robot to perform tasks such as sound signal detection, locomotion inside a turbofan engine, and transportation via a quadrotor. Therefore, it may be applied to post-disaster search and rescue, and damage detection of large-scale mechanical equipment and infrastructure.
At present, researchers are planning and designing the autonomous motion scheme for the robot.
"We plan to inject some algorithms on its chip in the future, so that it can make self-judgment and take correspondent reaction after encountering obstacles or emergency situations," said Yan Xiaojun, a professor at the School of Energy and Power Engineering of the Beihang University. -Report from Reuters
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